Overview
- Hours before the Syria removal, a convicted Afghan was deported to Afghanistan, which the Interior Ministry said was the second such case within a week.
- The deported Syrian, a 37-year-old former resident of Gelsenkirchen who entered in 2015, had his protection status revoked by BAMF and was removed on a scheduled commercial flight after serving a sentence for aggravated robbery, bodily injury and extortion.
- The Interior Ministry says months of talks produced agreements enabling routine deportations of offenders and so‑called ‘Gefährder,’ while declining to disclose future flight plans for security reasons.
- Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt cited coalition commitments and argued that convicted offenders must leave Germany, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also pressed for resuming returns and engaged with Syria’s transitional leadership.
- Opposition figures and rights groups argue Syria remains unsafe and denounce the move; separately, more than 50 prominent signatories urge swift entry for Afghans with German admission pledges, with NGOs estimating up to about 1,800 people waiting versus far lower government counts.